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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24290071">Much Ado About Theatre</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuineapigQueen/pseuds/GuineapigQueen'>GuineapigQueen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>400 Followers Requests [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>South Park</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crude Humor, M/M, its because they're reading shakespeare, some dumb sex jokes/references, theatre kid tweek</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:55:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,112</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24290071</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuineapigQueen/pseuds/GuineapigQueen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's in english stupid, just old english" Tweek reminds Craig.</p><p>"Whatever I don't get it. It's like reading gibberish" Craig says dismissively, clearly frustrated. </p><p>"Why are you -nghh- taking this class then?" Tweek asks, purely curious. It's not just Shakespeare Craig seems disinterested in. He seems uncomfortable onstage as a whole.</p><p>"Because you're taking it" Craig admits sheepishly, a blush appearing on his cheeks.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Craig Tucker/Tweek Tweak</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>400 Followers Requests [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718590</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Much Ado About Theatre</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A request from my dear Salvadore, who asked for Creek reading classical literature. I put a theatre spin on it :) Hope you like it friend.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"This is so </span>
  <em>
    <span>boring</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Craig groans, not interested in the books in front of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not </span>
  <em>
    <span>-gah- </span>
  </em>
  <span>boring" Tweek retorts, rolling his eyes at his boyfriend. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's annoying, they speak in this weird language I don't understand any of it" Craig continues to complain. Tweek doesn't agree with him at all, he doesn't understand why Craig is even taking this drama class uf he's so uninterested. Tweek is so into this stuff, sure it's old but it's </span>
  <em>
    <span>history. </span>
  </em>
  <span>This is what people hundreds of years ago wanted to see and it astounds Tweek that these works have truly stood the test of time. Tweek is excited to be studying the works of Shakespeare the way they were supposed to be studied. As pieces of theater rather than literature texts. Tweek can't wait to bring them to life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's in english stupid, just </span>
  <em>
    <span>old </span>
  </em>
  <span>english" Tweek reminds Craig.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whatever I don't get it. It's like reading gibberish" Craig says dismissively, clearly frustrated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>-nghh-</span>
  </em>
  <span> taking this class then?" Tweek asks, purely curious. It's not just Shakespeare Craig seems disinterested in. He seems uncomfortable onstage as a whole.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because you're taking it" Craig admits sheepishly, a blush appearing on his cheeks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're so dumb" Tweek says affectionately. Craig signing up for a course he doesn't even like trying to impress Tweek is just so </span>
  <em>
    <span>him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I signed up before we were going out, I wanted to impress you," Craig tells him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Now you're </span>
  <em>
    <span>-hnng-</span>
  </em>
  <span> stuck" Tweek adds. Craig won him over easy, just by being himself but he's still had to commit to the class.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Now that I've got you I don't have to pretend to be interested anymore" Craig jokes, but Tweek knows deep down he is struggling with the workload. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You still gotta pass the </span>
  <em>
    <span>-gah-</span>
  </em>
  <span> class, genius" Tweek reminds him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know, you do dumb shit for love okay?" Craig says, clearly trying to push the issue away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're lucky the dude you were </span>
  <em>
    <span>-hnn- </span>
  </em>
  <span>trying to impress is actually good at the class and is willing to help you" Tweek says, hoping this will lift his spirits. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I am. You're something special" Craig says with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I try. I feel like you could </span>
  <em>
    <span>-nghh- </span>
  </em>
  <span>love this stuff if you tried" Tweek tells him. This is sincere too, Tweek thinks Shakespeare could totally pique Craigs interest if he could just find some way to get Craig to "get" the text. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>try, remember?" Craig says, frustrated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, I mean if you really </span>
  <em>
    <span>got </span>
  </em>
  <span>it" Tweek tries to explain. They've both been trying to help Craig grasp the material, Tweek knows he is trying. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well I don't, sorry" Craig huffs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No I'm not blaming you, I'm just trying to think how I can </span>
  <em>
    <span>-hnn-</span>
  </em>
  <span> help you get it" Tweek tries to backtrack. Sorry he made Craig feel useless and stupid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wanna enjoy doing these things with you, I know acting is your passion" Craig says. That's something Tweek loves about him, that he wants to share Tweeks interest even if it means leaving his comfort zone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll think of a way, even if you don't </span>
  <em>
    <span>-ah- </span>
  </em>
  <span>come out of the assignment loving acting or whatever, I'll figure out a way for us to enjoy doing it together" Tweek promises him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, I do want to pass and enjoy this," Craig tells him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Trust me, we will make something good" Tweek assures, even if he isn't quite sure how yet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>—</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tweek can't believe he hadn't thought of it earlier. Craig is struggling with the language, there's a lot of slang and outdated terms he has no context for. He probably didn't listen much in English and continued to tune out in drama class. Craig doesn't get the subtext. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There's so many colorful insults and innuendo that it should be right up Craig's alley. The assignment calls for a duologue from one of the plays, actors' choice. Craig really has no interest in any particular play and is happy to let Tweek pick. Craig doesn't like Romeo and Juliet at all, and Tweek thinks that play is highly misunderstood and overdone. So while there's a great opportunity for romantic duologue scene work (Tweek would be willing to play a genderbent Juliet if that would help Craig feel more comfortable.) Tweek decides not to even try with Romeo and Juliet. Instead he picks up Much Ado About Nothing, he thinks the banter will speak much more to Craig and he thinks their teacher will appreciate his genderbent take. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The title is a pun" Tweek tries to explain to Craig.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I said I don't mind Tweek, any scene is good with me"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No but what I'm trying to say is this whole play is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>-nghh- </span>
  </em>
  <span>dirty joke. Even down to the title. It's full of banter and </span>
  <em>
    <span>-ah- </span>
  </em>
  <span>innuendo" Tweek tries to explain, the only other play more sexually suggestive in his opinion is Hamlet. But Much Ado About Nothing has the romantic match that he's sure he and Craig will pull off nicely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How is the title dirty? Much Ado About Nothing? That just means a big fuss about nothing right?" Craig shrugs. It sucks how much these clever language quirks have been lost over time. Now people just assume the title only has the one meaning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, but it's a double entendre. Nothing is slang for </span>
  <em>
    <span>-hnn- </span>
  </em>
  <span>lady parts, guess what a dick is?" Tweek explains. He hopes Craig finds it as amusing as he does.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I dunno dude" Craig replies. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"'</span>
  <em>
    <span>A thing'</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so lady parts are '</span>
  <em>
    <span>no thing</span>
  </em>
  <span>'" Tweek continues, Craig laughs at that, the dots beginning to connect. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Much ado about pussy?" He asks Tweek. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Exactly" Tweek nods, satisfied that Craig is finally starting to see what he does. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A play in the 1500s was called much ado about pussy? Didn't people notice?" Craig asks with a frown. That's another thing Craig clearly was never taught, the context of the time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course people noticed, that was the </span>
  <em>
    <span>-gah- </span>
  </em>
  <span>point. The crass humor was blatantly on display back then" Tweek explains. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I thought everyone was prim and proper back then?" Craig just sounds confused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Definitely not. Shakespeare's plays were aimed at the </span>
  <em>
    <span>-hnng-</span>
  </em>
  <span> common people. They were supposed to make people laugh with humor and innuendo and the </span>
  <em>
    <span>-nnn- </span>
  </em>
  <span>audience were encouraged to participate. They threw vegetables and stuff" Tweek tells him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I guess I always thought theater was just a rich people's thing" Craig says.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not in Shakespeare's day, he wanted the banter with the </span>
  <em>
    <span>-ah-</span>
  </em>
  <span> peasants" Tweek continues.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love that," Craig says with a grin. Tweek thought Craig might appreciate the less than stuffy approach of Shakespeare's plays, as they were originally intended. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I thought you might, now do you care if you play </span>
  <em>
    <span>-gah- </span>
  </em>
  <span>Beatrice or Benedick?" Tweek says, moving on hoping to get some work done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're both dudes" Craig points out the obvious. Tweek is about to blow his mind with the creativity of the theater. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know, but we'll genderbend that character. That's what </span>
  <em>
    <span>-hnn- </span>
  </em>
  <span>Shakespeare would actually do. Traditionally women were played by men" Tweek tells him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay well, I'm not confident so I guess I'll just be the dude" Craig nods "I'll do whatever you want though."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sounds great, I think we're gonna do a good job dude" Tweek assures him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I hope so," Craig says, still unsure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Best case, we get to make blatant sex jokes infront of the class and get </span>
  <em>
    <span>-ah- </span>
  </em>
  <span>good grades for it" Tweek encourages him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That I like," Craig replies with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, let's get to work" Tweek says and they begin. Tweek has faith they'll get there in the end.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>—</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tweek is a little peeved that Craig fell asleep during their rehearsal. He thought he was getting through to him with all this Shakespeare stuff. But almost as soon as they were alone to go through the text together Craig nodded off. Tweek doesn't think his acting is that boring, surely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wake up" he says, poking Craig angrily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Huh" is all Craig says as he startles awake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You fell asleep, we're supposed to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>-nghh- </span>
  </em>
  <span>working on the assignment" Tweek complains. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry, I'm just tired," Craig replies with a yawn. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did you </span>
  <em>
    <span>-nnn- </span>
  </em>
  <span>sleep bad last night?" Tweek asks, slipping into concerned boyfriend mode almost instantly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kinda?" Craig shrugs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What does kinda mean?" Tweek enquires further, unsure what Craig's vague statement translates to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well I was up all night reading" Craig admits. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What </span>
  <em>
    <span>-nghh- </span>
  </em>
  <span>were you reading?" Tweek asks, probably a Philip K Dick novel. Craig loves those at the moment. Tweek is also willing to try and share Craig's interests so he's borrowed Craig's copy of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and giving it a try. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well first I decided to read all of Much Ado About Nothing, I got sucked in so I started Hamlet and just kept going" Craig says. Tweek is surprised, he hadn't really expected Craig to read beyond their chosen scene. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You got sucked in? So you </span>
  <em>
    <span>-ah- </span>
  </em>
  <span>liked it?" Tweek encourages. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, once I started understanding the language more the stories became way more interesting to me" Craig explains, Tweek is feeling like a proud mom right about now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What was your favorite?" Tweek asks, thrilled to be able to discuss these things with his boyfriend. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I like Hamlet, I like how you're never really sure if he's playing crazy or not and sometimes he's really funny, and he's so crass. But I really like the banter in Much Ado About Nothing, I think it will suit us" Craig explains. Craig not only read the texts, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>understood </span>
  </em>
  <span>them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wow, you really did </span>
  <em>
    <span>-hnng-</span>
  </em>
  <span> read it" Tweek says in awe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course I did babe, once you helped me understand it I started to get why you like it so much. It's so funny to me that the texts that went down in history are filled with dick and pussy jokes" Craig muses happily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's very human, isn't it?" Tweek agrees.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Absolutely, crazy how once you understand the language it becomes so much more universal and relatable" Craig continues. This is exactly what Tweek had wanted him to understand. He knew if Craig could fully understand the context and decode the outdated language he'd enjoy these texts immensely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"See, I always knew you were capable of </span>
  <em>
    <span>-ah- </span>
  </em>
  <span>understanding" Tweek says with a fond smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks babe, it was through your help though. You've been so dedicated to tutoring me" Craig says, pulling Tweek into a hug. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course, I want you to do well" Tweek tells him as they break apart. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think we will, you've chosen a great play for us to work with" Craig says, sounding very warm and proud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks Craig. Do you wanna get up and start blocking </span>
  <em>
    <span>-nnn-</span>
  </em>
  <span> the scene?" Tweek asks. He's enjoying their moment together but the assignment isn't going to do itself. It's time to get some work done. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Blocking is the action right?" Craig asks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Close enough, you're learning so much" Tweek beams with pride. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>—</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This assignment really brings Craig out of his shell. It's so rewarding for Tweek to see Craig finding his feet as an actor and actually beginning to enjoy himself. It's the joy Tweek was sure Craig was capable of finding, but he had to get there himself. Tweek can't force him to enjoy something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Craig enjoys the scene they've chosen to recreate because they get to spar together verbally onstage. He likes that it's all about words and wit rather than overwhelming emotions. He enjoys the way the characters flirt and he doubly enjoys getting to act this out with his partner. He's gained a ton of confidence and Tweek feels like the final product is better than he ever could have imagined. Tweek knows they'll get a good grade but even if they didn't, Tweeks heart is still so full. They both gained so much throughout this process. Craig learned to be more confident and he now understands the material for their class much better. Tweek got to help mentor Craig getting there and they both took more of an interest in each other's interests. Tweek is enjoying his sci-fi books he's borrowed from Craig and Craig has a new appreciation for the theatre works Tweek loves. It's been a real process of growth for them as a couple. It's been so much more than an assignment for them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tweek will be sad for it all to be over. Even if Craig decides not to continue on with drama as a subject next year at least they got to have this experience together. At least they got to see these different sides of one another.  </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My tumblr is blesspastacraig if you wanna be friends :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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